Have you ever wanted to get your music published?

Here at Larch Music we are always on the look out for new music whether this be an arrangement or an original composition'

If you would like to submit a musical work to us with a view to having it published then please do so in the following ways.

 

You can send music to us in many ways

• Hard Copy (Either Hand Written or a Printed Version)
• A Sibelius file (This is our preferred way)
• A PDF of your music

 

You can send a Sibelius file or a PDF to us at sales@larchmusic.co.uk or send your hand written music or printouts to us at

 

Larch Music Ltd.

Unit 2

16 The Village

Haxby

York

YO32 3HT

 

We advise that you DO NOT send any original manuscripts to us as we are unable to return any music to you.

 

What Happens Next?

Copyright is placed on any work work when it written down and lasts for 70 years after the composer has died. So any works written after 1947 are still in copyright and would need permission to arrange from the copyright holder. Please also note that sometimes if there is a lyricist involved then they can also come under this copyright law.

Before we can publish these types of works we have to obtain copyright permission. We will not publish any arrangement that is still in copyright without this clearance. We do have great relations with some of the larger copyright holders and so in some circumstances we can gain these clearances but please be aware that these can take anything between a few days to nearly 12 months!

If you are submitting an original composition then you are the copyright holder so no permission, apart from your own, would be needed to have your piece published.

If you have any copyright questions then please do get in touch with us where we will be able to assist you.

Set below we have put together further information that you may find helpful.

Is the music in or out of copyright law?

Before arranging any copyright music you music get permission from the copyright holder. Even if this is just for your own use or to play in your band or group. Copyright exists for 70 after the composer/lyricist has died so generally any work written before 1947 should be OK but it is worth checking beforehand.

If you are submitting a copyright score for publication then generally you should have asked for permission to do this BEFORE you send it to us. Here at Larch Music we can generally sort out copyright if we consider your piece for publication.

Any arrangement that you have done of out of copyright material then we are able to publish for you as you would own the copyright of that arrangement. These types of works are the easiest to handle as no copyright clearance is needed as the works are classed as being in "Public Domain".

If you would like Larch Music to consider publishing your music then get in touch via the methods set out at the top of this page.

This depends on the type of work that you send to us.

• The easiest ones are Original Compositions and arrangements are "Public Domain" works or those out of copyright. These can normally be sorted within a couple of weeks.

• Slightly harder ones to do are Copyright Works. Obtaining copyright can take a few days to many months depending on the copyright holder.

 

So, please do allow time for these processes to take place. If you are submitting Christmas titles then allow plenty of time for copyright to be arranged and remember it's never too early to submit Christmas titles.

This will depend on a number of factors like quality of arrangement or composition, the medium you have arranged or composed for and the saleable quality of the music ie: will it be cost effect for publication to take place.

One of the points that we make clear to arrangers and composers is that your title may take time for customers to purchase it. You will not sell hundreds of copies within the first week, month or even year. It takes time to get your name known in the music field.

We tend to look for compositions and arrangements that have not been done before or have very few versions available. This makes your work stand out more.

The length of time taken to get a piece in print depends on the type of work and if it needs typesetting or not. If you send pieces that are already in Sibelius then this makes the process a lot shorter as we can set out your piece for publication much quicker. If we have to engrave music, type your music into Sibelius, then this process will take much longer as we have to have it proofread and looked many times before we will allow it to go into print. This process is done by typesetting your piece, sending a PDF for you to print and make any changes using a red pen, red stands out better than black or blue. You then return a scanned copy to us and we then go through the process again until we reach a final version. Checking your piece carefully before sending will speed up this process.

We do pay a percentage of the retail selling price as royalties. This will vary depending the rate and type of arrangement or composition you have submitted.

We will consider any arrangement or composition for publication that you wish to send to us. Not all submissions are published though.

Please remember to submit your final version of any composition or arrangement. Go through the score and make sure all dynamics and articulation markings are in place as this will not only speed up any layout process but will also mean you have taken care in your work and carefully gone through it with a fine tooth comb for any errors. Yes, you may have missed something, we are all human but always check and double check your work before submitting as this may also have an affect on whether your piece is chosen for publication.

If you send an original composition to us then the copyright will be assigned to Larch Music Ltd. who will the own the copyright in your composition and deal with all aspects of the publication.

Copyrights in arrangements are slightly different. If the piece is in Public Domain then you originally own the copyright of that arrangement. We can follow the same procedure as above for original compositions. If the title is in copyright then the copyright of the arrangement belongs to the copyright holder and we can act as distributor for that title. Neither you, the arranger, or Larch Music will hold any copyright for that particular title.

This depends on the percentage rate and how many copies have been sold. Generally we tend to work at 20% royalties of the retail selling price of the work but this can vary especially if the work is in copyright and the licence fee is high.

Payment will be made via BACS (Bank Transfer) and is usually done twice a year (End of June and End of December)

If you have any other questions then please do not hesitate to ask.

You can email on sales@larchmusic.co.uk

Phone on 01904 765900

Or write to us at

Larch Music Ltd., Unit 2, 16 The Village, Haxby, York. YO32 3HT